Apparatus for the treatment of sulfio ores



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FUR H THEM 0F SULFD GRES.

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here surges upward it Will be checked by the baille.

The columns of gasied or aerated Water under pressure from the pipes 20 Will stir up the pulp, andthe upward. irregular course of the streams will be controlled and regulated by the inverted Vshaped baille 7 By this-means the pulp is thoroughly and gasilied in the lower part however, to introduce a portion of the.

frothing medium through the gasiier, as

the gas, Water and frothing agent are more thoroughly mixed thereby. As the mixture thus obtained is discharged un der pressure into the vessel, the pulp will become charged with innumerable minute bubbles, resulting in a very satisfactory' fioth carrying the bulk of themetallic sulfi s.

There are three zones in the frothing vessel, namely, the lowest at the bottom of the vessel where the pots, baille and crowding boards and the gasilied Water under pressure act together to keep the/particles in. motion; above this there is a calmer separat- `ing Zone Where the metallic suliids sort themselvesfiom the gangue, and on the top there is a zone for the assembling of the froth. This is deep and intense, and is caused to 'gra-dually oveiHowby the incorning material and water and is caught in the manner explained. The addition of Water to the vessel through the gasiiers necessitates the thickening of the pulp before delivery to the frothing vessel, so that the density of pulp most suitable to the material being treated may exist in the vessel.

have shown three of these Y agitating means to a frothing vessel, but the number of gasifiers and pipes will vary and may be more or less than three according to requirements. Nor dol confine myself to the exact pressure of Water as above stated, namely a pressure of about 8O its. to the square inch, which lhave employed with satisfactory results when treating the sulfid ores of the West coast of Tasmania.

Neither do I confine myself to any fixed dimensions of the pipes, jet openings and other parts of the gasifier, for the reason that the component parts of the latter'must,

= for the best Work, necessarily be dimensioned to suit the particular conditions ot Water pressure, degree of gasiiying, size of vessel, character of ore, and so on.

Further, l do'not confine myself to any specific temperature at whicli'to carry on terasse this process as such will be variable accordi'ng to the class ci material treated.

The amount of irothing agent required to be added to the pulp will ordinarily be less than 0.1 per cent. ot the ore, and all oi it may either be added to the ore, or a pertion such as one half may be :ted to the pulp exti'aneously to the vessel, and the other half be admitted through the gasiiier, or alter natively, the whole of the i'othing agent may be admitted through l .f This invention -may also be applied to the separation cil one suliid frein other suli'lds by a process involving selective or preieren tial actions. l, however, do not Wish to make any claim to such preferential action. lilly invention has no concern with. such except through tlie recovery with my appara-- tus and by means 'of the process herein described, of the sull-id or sulfide so prepared for treatment. Having now described my invention, what ll lclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent isl. In a subiti-separation apparatus, a frothing vessel; means for delivering" pulp to be treated to said vessel and having a discharge opening adjacent the licor of said vessel; baniing means located in said vessel; a dash-pot adjacent the floor of the vessel; and rothing fluid delivering means extend ing through the vessel and having. a dis` charge opening adjpcent the dash-pot and beloviT the bathing means, the stream of iiuid from said delivering means discharging downwardly toward the dash-pot.

2. ln a sullid-separation apparatus, a frothing vessel a baille board located in said vessel; a second baille boa-rd located above the rst baille board adjacent thereto and coperating therewith to forni an agitation cli-amber in said vessel; and frothing liquid delivering means having a discharge opening in said agitation chamber and directed downwardly from said second baille board.

ln a suld-separation apparatus, a

-frothing vessel having a sloping door;

means for delivering pulp to be treated to said vessel having discharge opening adjacentv the highest part of thefloor ofthe I vessel; a baille board located in the vessel and extending parallel to the lloor thereof; inclined boards at the sides oi the baille board and arranged close to the baille board -o rc m an agitation chamber which receives the pulp from the discharge opening, the space between the boards and the baille board permitting the material in the agitation chamber to pass therefrom; and. liquid delivering means extending through the vessel and having a discharge opening entending into the agitation chamber, the stream from the discharge opening being' directed toward the loor of the vessel.

d. lin a Seidel-separation apparatus, a 

